According to the 2019 San Francisco Homeless Point-in-Time Count & Survey, 8,011 individuals in San Francisco were classified as homeless on January 24, 2019. Of these individuals:

  • Sixty-five percent (65%) were unsheltered

  • Thirty-five percent (35%) were sheltered: staying in emergency shelter programs, transitional housing or safe haven programs.

  • Ninety-two percent (92%) were individuals without children

  • Fifty-seven percent (57%) were 41 and older

  • Fifty-nine percent (59%) identified as male

  • Sixty-nine percent (69%) reported experiencing prior episodes of homelessness

  • Sixty-five percent (65%) reported experiencing homelessness for a year or more at the time of the survey

  • Eighty-nine percent (89%) reported being unemployed. Of these:

    • Sixty percent (60%) reported earning under $450 per month

    • Thirty-three (33%) reported earning $450-$1099 per month

    • Four percent (4%) reported earning $1,100-$1,499 per month

    • Three percent (3%) reported earning $1500 or more per month

  •  Eleven percent (11%) reported full-time, part-time, or sporadic employment and many indicated earning some form of income. Of these:

    • Twenty-one percent (21%) reported earning under $450 per month

    • Forty-six percent (46%) reported earning $450-$1099 per month

    • Twenty-two percent (22%) reported earning $1,100-$1,499 per month

    • Fourteen percent (14%) reported earning $1500 or more per month

Chronic Homelessness in San Francisco

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines a chronically homeless individual as someone who has experienced homelessness for a year or longer—or who has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness totaling 12 months in the last three years—and also has a disabling condition that prevents them from maintaining work or housing. Based on the survey responses:

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of the homeless population in San Francisco were experiencing chronic homelessness on January 24, 2019. Of these,

  • Ninety-four (94%) were adults without children.

  • Sixty-seven percent (67%) were unsheltered

  • Sixty-three percent (63%) reported alcohol or substance use.

  • Fifty-three percent (53%) reported living with a psychiatric or emotional condition,

  • Forty-eight (48%) reported living with a chronic health problem.

  • Seventy-three percent (73%) reported receiving government assistance. Of these: 

    • Thirty-five percent 35% reported receiving CalFresh (food stamps),

    • Twenty-five percent (25%) reported receiving SSI, SSDI, or other disability benefits

    • Twenty-one percent (21%) received General Assistance (GA)

    • Twenty-one percent (21%) received Medi-Cal/MediCare benefits.

  • Twenty-seven percent (27%) of chronically homeless respondents reported they were not using government assistance. Of these:

    • Thirty percent (30%) reported not having proper identification

    • Twenty-two percent (22%) cited the lack of a permanent address

    • Nineteen percent (19%) reported that they did not want any government assistance

    • Eighteen percent (18%) did not think they were eligible.

    • Seventeen percent (17%) reported that their benefits had been cut off.

  • Thirty percent (30%) reported spending at least one night in jail or prison within the 12 months prior to the survey

  • Fourteen percent (14%) reported being on probation or parole at the time of the survey,

  • Fifteen percent (15%) reported being on probation or parole at the time they became homeless.

I put this snapshot together, because the original report goes on and on, making it hard to see the forest through the trees. Part of solving a problem is organizing your information into relevant facts. One of the problems I’d like to solve is how to fix chronic homelessness without creating serious problems elsewhere. This is a beginning of that project.